Vegan Dinner Attempt 2

Sunday night I was feeling adventurous & decided to try the Gnocci with Thyme Vinaigrette & Lemon Cashew Cream from Lauren Ulm's fantastic cookbook {page 190-194 to be precise} Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent {But Doable} Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining & Every Day. Last time I tried out her Seven Spice Udon {page 214-215} & ended up with amazing results, so my expectations were high.

Now, I have never even had gnocci, let alone make it from scratch, so I was pretty nervous. The Thyme Vinaigrette & Lemon Cashew Cream were totally manageable to make & surprisingly delicious. Although, I didn't have any of the correct/high tech kitchen equipment {i.e mortar & pestle to grind the thyme & salt}, so I improvised {standard for a poor graduate student}. After removing the potato from the skin, we decided to be resourceful & not waste anything {i.e we were starving!!}, so we added some soy butter & soy cheese, some salt & pepper while the empty skins were hot & had a little appetizer.

Everything came out great, it was wicked fun to watch the gnocci float to the top as instructed {yah...I'm simple} - a tell tale sign I was on the right trail. However, I'm not sure I like gnocci. Similar to that time I made a giant pot of leek & oatmeal soup, only to realize I'm not a fan of leeks. The texture bothered me, which is weird because I adore potatoes, but I'm not a pasta fan, so maybe the combination just didn't settle with me. I had an idea to fry them, but decided that I needed to fight against my American blood to fry, fry, fry.

The recipe was really delicious & Lauren is wicked good at being clear in her directions {especially for mildly complicated steps -I have plans to try her dumplings soon!}. We served it with baked asparagus with lemon & garlic {yum!}. Does anyone out there have any gnocci-eating suggestions? I don't want to give up after one try!

Disclaimer: It should be obvious by now, but I am by no means adept at taking pictures. I can only handle the basics, so don't judge please!

Vegan Dinner Attempt 1

alternative title: "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day, But Brussel Sprouts Sprouted Up Overnight"

Saturday night I attempted the first recipe out of my new cookbook: VeganYumYum Decadent {But Doable} Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining & Every Day by Lauren Ulm. This is the same woman whose blog I found those adorable knitting cupcakes on...

I can't say I have been 100% vegan/vegetarian for the past 3-4 weeks...I don't think I was planning on it. However, I have only had meat 3/4 times and dairy {with Lactaid} only a handful...all times are when I have gone out to lunch/dinner with friends...that's the hardest time always for me! But I have definitely been cooking more & eating way more veggies {I have always been more of a fruit person}...& I feel more energized/healthy for sure.

So, back to my cooking adventure!

Saturday evening, Nate {over at Flacasaurus...great blog if Folk Friday doesn't occur regularly enough for you} & I tried out Lauren's Seven Spice Udon recipe {on page 214 of her cookbook}. This was simple enough - only called for 7 ingredients- but let me tell you! We went to three different grocery stores looking for the simplest items! The recipe calls for Japanese Seven Spice...but we could only find an Asian Sesame Ginger spice, which had most of the same spice in it, minus the seaweed.

Which brings me to the Brussel Sprouts....I have never ever had a Brussel Sprout, not because I'm among the vocal majority who has an intense disdain for them, just never had them....Also, they are apparently a winter veggie, so super hard to locate in mid-May. We ended up buying a bag at Trader Joe's...so now I have almost a whole bag of Brussel Sprouts & no idea how to cook them...please let me know if you have any suggestions....

Also, this recipes contains tofu...I have maybe had tofu 2 other times {that makes it twice this week!} & I'm kind of terrified of it...it has to be pretty fried for me to deal with the texture. Additionally, I have never attempted to cook it myself...Nate & I braved the slimy square mold of soy & were pleasantly please with the results.

The recipe calls for shredded carrots & Brussel Sprouts, but we also added in some mushrooms, mostly because we had a handful that were about to go bad, but also because I think mushrooms & Asian food go together really well, plus more veggies in one meal....

I also really liked the fried/soft Udon noodles...it came out so well & surprisingly felt like comfort food....salty, crunchy, hearty, delicious....

I'm not sure how Ms. Ulm would feel about posting the recipe step by step, but it wasn't difficult {think of all the new things I managed to do in just one recipe with only 7 ingredients!} & I would totally suggest checking out her blog or even purchasing the cookbook for more recipes. I plan on cooking my way through this entire book this summer...everything looks amazing, vegan & all!

I went a little overboard on photos, but I was excited to document my culinary experiment!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I hope you have a lovely holiday, no matter how you celebrate. It's a warm & gorgeous day here, so I think I'll be celebrating outside. Tonight, after America's Next Top Model of course, I'll be watching one of my favorite Disney, & Irish related, movies: Darby O'Gill & The Little People {1959}.

Who doesn't love a good PG love story with a drunkard father, a leprechaun named King Brian, and loads of jigging thrown into the mix. Also, check out how young Sean Connery looks below:

Irish Food & Cooking: Traditional Irish Cuisine with over 150 Delicious Step-by-Step Recipes from the Emerald Isle by Biddy White Lennon & Georgina Campbell.

Now, I said I would post another recipe from my Irish cookbook & here's today's recommendation: Pheasant with oatmeal stuffing {page 162}. I made this for our Christmas Eve dinner {unfortunately I didn't think to take any pictures} & it was one of the best things I have ever eaten if I do say so myself. It's a great alternative if you're not a fan of corned beef & cabbage {which is totally understandable}. Be warned: it has a lot of butter in it {obviously}.

Ingredients {Serves 4-6}

• 2 oven-ready pheasants {I actually used Cornish Game Hen, which are usually easier to find}
• 6 unsmoked streaky {fatty} bacon rashers {strips}
• 1/4 cup softened butter {you can substitute it out for soy margarine, if lactose is an issue}
• 2 tbsp seasoned flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• salt & ground black pepper
• watercress or rocket, to garnish {I skipped this step}

Ingredients for the stuffing:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• peasant {or Cornish Game Hen} livers, finely chopped {the Hens I bought didn't come with livers, so only feel you have to do this step if the livers come with the bird}
• 1 cup pinhead {sometimes sold under the name 'Irish'} oatmeal
• 1/4 cup butter, melted {see soy margarine comment above}

Directions:

1. Prepare the stuffing. Put the onion & livers into a mixing bowl with the oatmeal {uncooked, it will cook in the oven} & butter. Mix thoroughly & season well with salt & pepper. Add a little cold water to moisten slightly.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wipe the birds inside & out & divide the stuffing between them, spooning in loosely to allow it to expand during cooking.

3. Use cotton string to truss for cooking {I skipped this part} & lay the uncooked bacon strips over the birds. Spread half the softened butter over them & lay in roasting pan with the remaining butter.

4. Cook in the oven for 45-50 minutes, basting frequently. Ten minutes before the end of cooking times, remove the bacon, baste the birds, & dredge with seasoned flour. Baste again & return to the oven to brown.

5. When cooked remove the trussing string & place birds on a serving dish & keep warm.

6. Garnish with bacon strips & watercress when served.

To make the gravy:

• After you have removed the birds from the roasting pan, pour all of the fat out of the pan & sprinkle in the remaining flour. Stir well to dislodge anything in the bottom of the pan. Gradually blend in the chicken stock, season, & bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes & put in a gravy boat.

Enjoy! Let me know how it comes out!

Erin Go Bragh

Irish Food & Cooking: Traditional Irish Cuisine with over 150 Delicious step-by-step recipes from the Emerald Isle by Biddy White Lennon & Georgina Campbell

I bought this cookbook last Fall & have tried a handful of recipes from it - some more successful than others. In anticipation of the upcoming holiday, which celebrates those of us with pale skin, freckles, & red {Ok -reddish} hair, with maybe a little something to do with St. Patrick & snakes, I'm going to feature some easy recipes from this book to test out.

I went to Catholic school forever, in high school our team was the Shamrocks, I'm pretty amply covered in freckles, & my paleness knows no bounds, but I have given up butter. Blasphemy! How can one still be Irish & not eat butter -What a travesty! I sometimes crave butter so bad I can smell it. How I long for my favorite food {i.e taters smothered in butter & heavy cream & cheese & mashed & whipped to perfection}, but I have come to live without it. I'm searching for Irish recipes without dairy & have actually succeeded:

Today, I'm trying out Apple Snow, a super light & easy dessert:

Ingredients {makes 6 servings}

• 1.5 lbs cooking apples {it says Bramley's Seedling, but I used Macintosh}
• thinly peeled lemon rind
• 1/2cup caster {superfine} sugar
• 3 egg whites

Directions

1. Peel, core, & slice apples. Put in pan with 3tbsp water & lemon rind. Cover & simmer for 15 minutes.

2. Remove from heat & take out lemon rind. Add sugar.

3. Beat apples & sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cool.

4. When cool, whisk egg whites until stiff & then fold into apple mixture until thick & light.

5. Chill until served.

I placed the Apple Snow on a few lady fingers, but it would look lovely garnished with some strawberry slices, homemade whipped cream, or even vanilla bean ice cream. It would actually be an interesting substitution for whipped cream, since it has a similar texture, but honestly, what's so yummy about this dish is its simplicity. I love that it's a dessert, & satisfyingly sweet, but not heavy or too sugary.

So, instead of drinking yourself into an oblivion or donning head-to-toe green, why not celebrate the holiday by trying out some Irish food.

Recipe Idea: Rainbow Cake

So, I'm not huge into cooking/baking on a regular basis. I'm really just too busy with school stuff to plan meals all the time, but every once in awhile I try something new or make something fancy schmancy.

Next time I'm in the mood for baking I will for sure be trying out this Rainbow Cake recipe from Aleta's awesome blog {seriously, if you're into food at all it's a great resource for recipes/ideas}.

I love the colors of this cake most of all. It's a great idea & I can't believe I never thought of it before.

Apparently, it has no fat in it, which is great if you're worried about that sort of thing.

Plus, it looks really pretty - all your friends & neighbors will be super impressed with your skills!

Why not try: Homemade Energy Bars

I am so excited to add to Carolyn's Folk Friday Series... but until then why not try making your own energy bars!

I'm a pretty active girl... if you don't know me, let me just give you a small taste of one of my favorite hobbies. On any given day you'll find me swimming, biking, or running, lifting, stretching, or eating all in preparation to race triathlons. I've been racing for four years and I'm becoming just a wee bit competitive. Okay maybe more than a "wee." To help fuel my "multi-sport" life, I've done some self testing on the best foods for triathletes and in today's why not try I want to share it!

I am a big fan of Clif bar products. They are my go to during a two plus hour bike followed by an hour run. Or when I need something quick between the track and training at the gym. But as filling as they are, I found my pocket book to emptying. So I found a few recipes to make my very own energy bars.

I started my shopping at Henry's, SoCal's answer for Whole Foods (side note, there are a few Whole Foods Markets in the area... few and far between). I picked myself up some whole figs, hazelnuts, raw almonds, craisins, dried cherries, and some old fashioned rolled oats. In a food processor I threw in all the fruit ingredients, plus the almonds and hazelnuts (finely chopped) and some honey. I let the f.p. do its job, then dumped out the contents on a cutting board and formed it into a long rectangle. I sprinkled the oats on top and wrapped the whole thing in clear wrap and threw it in the freezer. In a second batch I added some natural peanut butter as I mushed the mess into a square. Within a few hours, I had an awesome little snack that my coach even couldn't resist. In fact he ate the three servings I gave him in under 20 minutes!

Here is just one of many links to a recipe (if you hate mine). Energy Bar Recipe

And since we are technically a book blog I thought i would add a quick review of... THE ATHLETE'S PALATE. This is a fun little cookbook full of gourmet but very healthy recipes specifically for athletes. I've made a bunch and the directions are pretty easy to follow. My dad is himself a great cook, so he likes to peak over my shoulder as a cook and add his flair. Really we just add some extra peppers and spices. There is a awesome energy bar recipe in here too!

Really most of recipes you find will have the same basic format. What is fun is adding your own little details to make the bars your own trademark. If you love raisins, but hate walnuts, well hold off the walnuts and go a little crazy with those dries grapes. Some little extras you could always throw in could be things like flax seed, hazelnuts, natural peanut butter, almonds, or dried fruits of all kinds! So have some fun in your kitchen and make some nutritious and energizing snack bars. Go on give it a "tri" :)